The Conduits
by Fade-Into-Oblivion
Summary: full summary on inside please read and review thank you.
1. Prologue

The Conduits

Prologue: The Big Bang

Summary: This is the story of the lives of a few new conduits and their struggle to thrive in the ruins Empire City will they rise above the others and claim their turf or will they fall to the chaos of Empire City?

Disclaimer: I do not own inFAMOUS only my OC that will appear.

Author's Note: Bad summary I know. This starts at the beginning of inFAMOUS so the first conduits you will see will be of the reaper faction but there will be more later on as the story progresses. Cole will come in and out of course considering he'll be the main hero of Empire City and Cole will be the good moral version. Rated T for language, violence, drugs, and some other stuff that may/may not happen later on.

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><p>-Jack's POV-<p>

Shade and I were making our usual rounds of dealing the various drugs that were given to us by our _dear_ employer. All and all it had been an average day. The regulars bought from us trying to get us to make a deal with them so they would get more for less. We declined as always earning a few strings of foul curses, flips of the bird, and occasionally a knife drawn each. Yep, just the average day of a drug dealer in Empire City at least no one pulled a gun on us this time, which did tend to happen time to time.

My name is Jack Lynch. I have short sloppily cut dark brown hair and brown eyes. I am eighteen years old and have been at this illegal job for four of those years. I have been somehow swindled into the drug trade by a stupid mistake I had made when I was ten, maybe twelve, it was somewhere around there. Then again if I hadn't screwed up like that then I would have never met Shade, my P.I.C. (partner in crime) and best friend.

Shade had years of street smarts under her belt. She's been at this far longer than I had. She never told me her real name and it seemed like no one even knew it at all, they just all called her Shade. She was quite popular amongst those of us who were stupid enough to take this job in the first place. She was my age but shorter than me but she had a total of ten years of this crap amazing isn't it? I'm surprised she hasn't earned enough money to get out of this shit. Then again if she left I'd have no one to talk to. Unlike her I had very few friends amongst the employees.

It was dawn and our night shift was over finally. The sky was a lovely pink orange that bathed everything else in the color, including Shade. Her black hair shined with the pink orange light and her normally pale skin was shining beautifully. I shook my head violently. I shouldn't be thinking like that. She was my partner nothing more, right? Well I did always kind of like, like her. I guess it wouldn't hurt to just ask and I don't think there are any rules against it with boss-man. I mean Taylor and Jay are together right? So it would be fine, but what if she didn't like me back in the same way? What if she thought of me as only a brother? I groaned.

"Jack are you alright?" I hear her ask concerned. Her blue eyes locked with by brown ones. I bit my lip.

_Ask her out!_ My inner thoughts ordered.

But what if-

_Stop being such a baby and DO IT!_

I took a deep breath. Fine, I'll try.

"Um…Shade I was wondering if...well if. That, well if you," I tried to get my words straight but I was suddenly nervous about it all and the words came out as word vomit.

"What's that?" she asked looking behind me.

"Wha-"was all I was able to get out as a bright blue light flooded my vision. I winced and turned away. I could faintly make out a silver metal barrel as it rolled towards us. The next few moments were all a blur. Screams, explosions, complete and utter chaos assaulted my ears. It was all so loud I thought I was going to go deaf. Black inky tar looking stuff showered all over me. It was foul, sticky, and it stung as it blinded my vision. I opened my mouth is yell but it went down my throat. I feel to my knees coughing up the terrible tar. I could feel myself slipping further and further as the lack of oxygen was getting to me. The tar had made its way into my lungs and was suffocating me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My last thoughts were, 'I never even got a chance to ask her out.' Then all went black.

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><p>-Shade's POV-<p>

Everything's drifting, fading in and out. My body feels heavy like someone had strapped weights to them. Lights come and go, someone's carrying me. My head rolls to the side I see red, a red hoodie I think, looked like there was something white paint on the hood. My head rolls over I see another red blur carrying someone else. They looked familiar, but couldn't put a name to face; I could barely even make out the face. There's a ringing in my ears I couldn't focus. Pain pulsed through my body a foul stench plagued my nose. Nausea tightened on my stomach, the bile rose in my throat. I'm dropped to the ground my knees landing on cold concrete. I can barely support my own weight as I slowly drift forward. An arm wrapped around my midsection keeping me up. My head rolls the bile creeping slowly up my throat. It burned as it finally splattered to the floor. The smell was back ten fold now. I try to open my eyes, to wake up all the way. Everything was spinning or was I spinning? I couldn't tell. A black spot stained the ground. Was that inside me? I didn't have time to think about it. I was lifted back up my head snapping back.

I faded in and out trying to remain conscious my body becoming heavier and heavier and the world blurrier and blurrier. I could feel myself being placed on cold floor. I could hear the sound of someone walking through water. The noise got louder and louder. Someone was coming. I couldn't move my head to see who it was.

_Poor darling, shhh…don't worry mother is here._

The voice echoed in my head. Mother? I've never had a mother before. A hand ghosts over my face trailing from my hair to the bottom of my chin sharp nails scraping against my face but they didn't break the skin. It was comforting.

_Mother is here._

The voice was as gentle as the thin nimble fingers stroking my hair lovingly. I relaxed the pain slowly easing away the pain in my body. I felt tired so very heavy and tired. I wanted nothing more than to slip into unconsciousness.

_Mother is here_

The voice repeated and I felt myself slip further and further. The last thing I was able to even comprehend was the feeling of being lifted into someone's lap, my head resting on a chest, and soft lips kissing my forehead then all slipped to the sweet oblivion relaxing in _Mother's _arms.

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><p>Please tell me what you think and I'll try to get the next one out which will be better I hope.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

The Conduits

Chapter 1: Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own inFAMOUS only the OCs that appear.

Author's Note: I thank you undead3 and D-man for the comments I'm glad you like it so far. I hope you continue to like it as it progresses.

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><p>-Jack's POV-<p>

When I woke up I felt weak and drained. My face was half covered in a puddle of murky water. It felt like I got drunk, passed out and was now waking up to a hangover. It took me a moment to gather my fogged and throbbing mind. I got to my feet, but something was…off. The world around me felt smaller or did I just have a massive growth spurt in the passed so may hours? Either way it didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was the gun that was pointed at my forehead, an assault rifle to be exact, and the one wielding it.

The man seamed like he was my height perhaps shorter. I couldn't see his face it was covered by the hooded white trench coat with what looked to bee a skeleton at the design. If it was a gang symbol I didn't recognize it and I could recognize a lot of them. They must be a new group. What was odd was his feet; he wore no shoes only bandages wrapped around them.

He didn't speak to me he only growled and nudged me with his gun to move forward. I put my arms up in surrender and complied as much as I hated being at the barrel end of a gun, but I hated being dead even more and I still needed to find Shade she could be here as well and I was not going to leave her behind and I knew without a doubt in my mind she would do the same for me.

The man was quiet aside from the occasional growl or vomiting. The dude definitely had some sort of disease it wasn't just any vomit it was thick and black almost like tar. With him all hacking next to me I was afraid I might just start spewing the shit too after all before I was covered in the crap and it even got in my mouth. I shuddered at the thought. The man growled and whacked me over the head with the butt of his gun.

I turned to glare at him forgetting the fact that he could blow my head off at any moment, "What's your problem man!" was what I wanted to say, but no words came out only a scratchy painful itchy feeling in my throat. I winced at clutched at my throat. The tar must be still lodged in my throat! The man took advantage of my sudden distraction and kicked my back with his bandaged foot. I fell forward into a puddle the water soaking my cloths and my head smacking the concrete with a loud crack. Pain pulsed in my nose the blood was already spilling from my nose to the ground. I winced, which only brought more pain to my injured nose. Broken, it was for sure broken.

I jumped as a shot was fired just to the right of my head. The man growled at me menacingly and I wasted no time in getting back up much to my weakened body's protests. I stumbled forward my head spinning in pain but was somehow able to catch myself. The man, I'm not really sure I can call him that anymore with all the growls, lead me deeper and deeper into what looked to be some sort of underwater line that connected the islands couldn't tell which though.

He gave me a good shove when we came to a large area I fell to my knees. I looked ahead to see a large room like structure filled with more of that black tar looking stuff and in the center a woman sat holding something in her arms whispering a lullaby I couldn't recognize as if the thing was a child. The woman and thing were sitting on some sort of throne looking thing that hung from the ceiling, pipes were everywhere some were leaking that black tar stuff. With a flick of her wrist the man backed off a few steps giving them room. I was glad to have the gun finally lowered from my head, but I got this strange feeling from the woman, the feeling that she was somehow more dangerous than the man with a gun.

The woman rose holding the object in her arms like one would hold a child. I looked at the figure trying to figure out who or what it was. It was difficult to see from the distance but I could make out pale features and black hair. Shade? I squinted to get a better look. Yes it was her, it was Shade! She seemed paler than usual. Her arm hung limply over the throne, her eyes were closed, and a grim looking gash was on her forehead. I felt my stomach drop to my knees.

_You have those eyes._

My head jerked upward to the voice. The woman was now over me, looking down at me. My eyes widened at what she was wearing, which was almost nothing! The only clothing she wore was a long sleeve jacket that barely, just barely, covered her chest and a red hood. Her naked bottom half was covered in the tar like substance only it was red and her fingers were thin and claw-like.

_You have those same eyes I had when I looked at HIM_

She hissed the word like it was the foulest thing in the world. The way she spoke was strange. It was like I was hearing it twice. Once out in the open and once in my mind.

_Those eyes, you no nothing of THAT feeling! _She spat.

Before I could think she backhanded me. My head snapped to the side. She may not look that strong on the outside but man could she slap. I could feel the red mark already forming on my cheek.

_Your eyes they are for her aren't they?_

Her hands grasped the sides of my face as she forced me to look up at her. I stared up into her eyes that seemed to blaze with some intense hate that I had no idea where it came form.

_YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!_ She screeched her claws digging into my skull.

_SHE IS MINE! MY DAUGHTER! YOU CAN NOT HAVE HER!_ I was already bleeding where her claws had stabbed my flesh and they were still digging deeper.

_Wait you know her, you care for her, you will protect her from HIM._ She suddenly stopped screaming in my face. _You will make sure HE never takes her away. HE doesn't deserve her, but you will never tell her, never tell her. Or you will PAY!_ She added pressure to her claws; I gasped and shut my eyes tight from the pain.

Her tone suddenly became soft. _Yes, you will protect her, you will protect her while Mommy is busy and Daddy is away._ Fury returned to her._ One day, one day HE will come back to us, HE WILL COME CRAWLING BACK TO US!_ The fury left for a moment before returning again._ Then we will be a family, a beautiful family, Mommy, Daddy, Daughter, and you, the dog. Yes, a family. WHEN HE COMES CRAWLING BACK TO US BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS! All will be forgiven._

My head was spinning with her outbursts and I felt sick. I wished I could pass out then and there make all the pain from the tar, from the gun, from her slap, from her claws; I wanted all of it to just go away. Not to mention her bi-polar outbursts slamming against my brain like a wrecking ball. Then she smiled at me

_Sleep doggy, you have a big job to do when she wakes up my new beloved._

The pain slipped away finally along with everything else.

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><p>-Shade's POV-<p>

I woke to odd warmth around me. My eyes shot open and I jumped forward slipping into some sort of black liquid. I coughed and gagged as some made its way into my mouth.

_Shhhh…it's alright, it's alright. Mother is here, you don't need to fear._

A voice cooed echoingly in my head. I whipped around seeing a woman standing before me. She approached slowly with arms outstretched. I froze as she pressed up close to me in a hug she was the warmth that woke me.

"Who-who are you?" I asked my voice barely over a horse whisper.

_So silly Shade, I am your mother of course._

"Mother?" I gasped. Was she really? Was she my mother? Wait, Shade, was that my name? I don't remember! "I don't remember!" I started to panic my heart pounding in my chest.

_Shhh…it will come to you my dear; it will all come back to you eventually._

She tightened her grip around me and I returned her hug her words comforting me. She held me as she trailed a clawed hand down the side of my face.

_You have been injured my dear and you slept for so very long. I was beginning to wonder when you would wake up, but you are strong so strong and powerful. My love helped and it awakened the power within you and now you can grow, flourish without HIM to hold you back without HIM to control you._

I briefly wondered who 'him' was, but I held my tongue she didn't seamed to like him very much and I didn't want to anger _mother_. The word still felt foreign and out of place to me. Something wasn't right but I would play along for now, only till my mind recovered what was lost. When I do I will know the truth and decide where to go from there.

"How long was I asleep," I asked.

_Fourteen days. Now it's time for you to get ready I have something for you to do my dear. I need you to help my beloveds spread my love. They need the help and you need to grow._

I stared at her not knowing who the 'beloveds' were or how exactly I was supposed to help. As if reading my mind she turned me around still holding on to me as if I would disappear at any moment if she didn't. A tall man much taller than any one I've seen appeared before us. He wore a white long coat with a black skeleton design on it and an assault rifle was strapped to his back.

_Ah! Here is one of my beloveds now. This is a very special one just for you my dear. Whatever you tell him to do he will follow it obediently and he will protect you when there is danger. Now go and get ready I will tell you what to do form there, and don't worry my daughter you will always be my favorite above all others._

She smiled giving me one last kiss on the forehead before disappearing into the black liquid. I blinked a few times in shock at her sudden disappearance. She said something awakened in me, I wonder what it was, and just now, does she have powers? I suppose only time will tell from here.

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><p>Author's Note: Chapter one is now finished. I won't be updating anything else for about a week because I am going to New York for a week and I leave on Friday. I hope I was able to keep Sasha in character. I hope you liked the chapter please tell me what you think about it. Thank You.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

The Conduits

Chapter 2: New Powers

Disclaimer: I do not own inFAMOUS only the OCs.

Author's Note: I thank you all for the reviews and watches and yes Shade is a conduit but not one that you've seen yet, well you'll see it now I guess. Sorry for the delay I had recently gotten inFAMOUS 2 and I have now beaten it on Evil Karma and have started good karma so I was busy doing that.

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><p>-Shade's POV-<p>

I changed my dirty cloths that I had been wearing when I woke up they were tar and grime soaked and very uncomfortable to walk around in. I was glad to have found other things to change into. I put on black pants, a dark red shirt, and a black jacket with a hood that I had painted a white symbol on after all if I was going to be apart of this gang I might as well look the part. I looked up to my extremely tall silent companion. So far he has not said a word to me or anyone for that matter. My companion was leaning up against the wall his assault rifle hanging off his back. There was an odd familiar air around him that I just couldn't seem to place, I'm sure it will come to me later, but first I needed to get a name from him.

"You got a name?" I asked. He only nodded. "Are you going to tell me what it is?" He shook his head.

I frowned, "well if you're not going to tell me your name then I'll just have to give you one." I put my hand on my chin. Giant? Whitey? No, he wasn't that different from the other white clad Reapers aside from the fact that he had a black symbol instead of a white one. It was a lame name anyway, I sighed I'll have to think of one later.

"Hey, you the new kid, uh, Shade?" asked a voice. I turned to see a man wearing a red hoodie that covered his face, old baggy pants that have been patched up, and an assault rifle slung on his shoulder when he stood near silent man he looked like nothing more than a child but he was still taller than me so I could only imagine what I looked like compared to the ridiculously tall man.

"Yeah…"

"Name's Roy I am going to accompany you on your first assignment and probably other ones too at least till you get the hang of things around here, Mr. Silent here we call Blitz" he says, "well we better get going if we want to get to Archer's Square in time. I'll fill you in on everything along the way."

Roy led us out of the underwater passage way and onto the surface and to Archer's Square. "First off we are currently in the neon district our home turf. Our little gang of hoodie wearing law breakers is called The Reapers. We basically just do as Sasha tells us to do. I am just your average Reaper nothin' special about me sadly, and Blitz here on the other hand is a Shockwave Conduit. They are more so special, they can, well you'll find out what they can do when you get into fights. Things will surprise you now a days so a word of advice: expect the unexpected." I could hear him grin in his voice. All around us people were doing everything they could to avoid us. The surface didn't even look that much better than underground. Buildings were dirty and boarded up, shops were closed, and trash littered everywhere. The train wasn't even running any more.

"So what's with his no talking?" I asked shoving a thumb in the tall man's direction.

"Hmm…don't really know exactly. He arrived about the same time you did and hasn't spoken a word to anyone. Maybe somthin' happened to his throat," Roy shrugged, "who knows and it's not like he's telling anyone." The tall man reached foreword and smacked Roy over the head. "Hey" he wined rubbing the back of his head. "Alright sensitive subject got it." I smiled amused at the two.

"Well here we are; Archer's Square,"

'Now what?' I thought silently.

_Now you wait my dearest, something is coming, simply observe this do not act this time around. Here you will learn of another who possesses power one that may become a most bothersome PEST, or a most wonderful ally._

'Mother's' voice spoke in my mind the first part coming out sweetly but it quickly changed to venom when she mentioned the other and finally to some form of affection. Something told me she wasn't exactly right in the head.

"Yo, Blitz get us higher up so we can get a better view," I hear Roy say from next to me. Blitz nodded walking between us and placing a hand on our shoulders. I looked at him in confusion. I suddenly felt a pull on my body. I tumbled and I was on a roof near Archer's Square. My stomach turned as I held back nausea. I felt a hand on my shoulder; it was Blitz his head was tilted slightly as if he was asking if I was ok.

"I'm fine," I mumbled my hand covering my mouth, and then realization hit me, "did we just teleport?" Blitz said nothing only nodded.

"Gah, as much as I hate teleportation it sure beats walking or having to climb a building," groaned Roy. He looked up from were he was sitting on the ground, "your doing good for your first teleport people usually vomit the first time"

Blitz snorted pointing to Roy then holding up two fingers.

I laughed, "You puked twice?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Roy scoffed kicking the ground with his bare feet. A loud noise caught our attention. It was a plane. It was flying unusually low and the engines were on fire never a good sign. Then something fell from it, something big.

"Looks like they finally sent the people that relief package and by the people I mean us," Roy smiled. I couldn't help but smile to, something about stealing seamed familiar to me. Was it something I used to do, must be. Our smiles fell when the package of food got caught on the giant structure.

"Damn, that sucks, how the hell are we supposed to get it now?" Roy growled shaking his fist.

"Can't Blitz teleport up there," I asked.

"Naw, he can only do short distance teleportation. It's too far for him to jump," Roy answered crossing his arms.

"Damn, how are we supposed to get to it?" I sighed. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, Blitz was pointing to something across from us.

"What's that?" Roy asked leaning over the ledge trying to get a good look I did the same. A man was climbing up the structure like it was nothing.

I blinked in surprise, "it's a guy, climbing a who knows how tall thing," Suddenly the package dropped breaking up into many pieces. "Well that solves one problem,"

"Yeah he did all the work for us," said Roy. A group of Reapers began running at the fallen packages. "Now we just enjoy the show."

The man jumped down from the structure lightning crackling around his body as he neared the ground. He must be a conduit as well. A shockwave came from the man as he made contact with the ground sending a few of the Reapers back a step. The Reapers retaliated with their assault rifles and shotguns. The man shot lighting bolts from his hands. From his hands! That made me start wondering what could I do? The Reapers were alive but they were down for the count shifting painfully on the ground. The citizens of Empire City all ran to the fallen food. I started scratching at my palm slightly irritated that I didn't do anything this time.

_Don't worry my dearest you will get your time, be patient. I can feel your strength begging to break free and it will, you will see my dearest._

Her voice spoke sweetly in my mind. "Well looks like there's a new conduit in town," sighed Roy, "come on lets go there's something else we need to check on," Blitz grabbed our shoulders an we were back on the ground. I stumbled slightly but the nausea was weaker this time. Roy still landed flat on his ass.

"I'll never get used to that," he complained brushing off his shoulders.

"Freeze!" yelled a man. We all tense up at the voice. A group of police men were glaring at us in their bullet proof vests their guns trained on us.

"Well this day gets better and better," Roy spoke Blitz nodding grimly in agreement. I winced and intense pain searing my palm. It was almost like something was trying to break free from it.

"I said freeze!" the officer yelled his finger twitching on the trigger; "put your hands-" he didn't get to finish his sentence. Something shot from my hand knocking the gun from his hand and wrapping around his arms. The man yelled out in shock. Out of the corner of my eye I saw electricity coming from Blitz's hand. The ground erupted with small shockwave explosions. The police cried out in pain as they got caught in the blasts. Roy unloaded his gun as they were caught off guard. The men fell dead and whatever shot from my hand came back. I looked at my hand in wonder. A large cut was open on my palm, but it wasn't bleeding in fact it was what had shot from my hand in the first place. Slowly the blood returned to the open wound the skin slowly knitting together again.

"Damn that was cool," said Roy in awe at my new found powers, "you must be like a blood conduit or somethin'."

Blood huh? I wonder what I can do with it.

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><p>Author's Note: Chapter dos now fin. Please tell me what you think of it.<p> 


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